Esfandiari won $870k for first place with Andrew "good2cu" Robl, his fellow Victory Poker pro, taking second for nearly $550k. Amazingly, it was Esfandiari's 32nd birthday Wednesday, making the day extra special.
Falling in third was the photogenic Vanessa Rousso, with WSOP ME runner up John Racener falling in fourth.
On the 89th hand of final table play, Esfandiari was crippled to just 10 big blinds. However, he kept battling and picking his spots, ultimately doubling up through Rousso and then taking a pot worth 3.2 million to become the tournament’s chip leader. Rousso ultimately hit the rail in third place after pushing pre-flop with Q-2 of hearts and running into Esfandiari’s A-Q. The board came 7-6-5-3-8 and Rousso, a GoDaddy Girl, earned $358,000.
On the final table, which ended with two Victory Poker pros battling it out, Esfandiari told WPT hostess Kimberly Lansing, “It was legendary. It was tough. It was fun. It was exciting. It was all of the above and I’m so glad to come out ahead. You have no idea. I don’t think it’s sunk in.”
WPT Five Diamond World Poker Classic Final Table results:
1. Antonio Esfandiari – $870,124
2. Andrew “good2cu” Robl – $549,003
3. Vanessa Rousso – $358,964
4. John Racener – $232,271
5. Kirk Morrison – $168,924
6. Ted Lawson – $126,693
The WPT will now take a six-week break for the holidays, with the next tournament scheduled for January 23rd in the Southern Poker Championship at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi. The $10,000 buy-in poker tournament will crown a winner on January 27th.
Zimba Analysis:
Antonio Esfandiari is one of the most likable personalities on the WPT. He is charismatic, good looking, young, and always entertaining. He beat a table filled with other attractive and skilled younger talent, which should bode well for ratings and all the changes upcoming for the new Season 9 of the WPT that launches in February. It is also a victory for Victory Poker, whose pros took the top two spots for some well appreciated branding and brag opportunities.
Antonio Esfandiari is one of the most likable personalities on the WPT. He is charismatic, good looking, young, and always entertaining. He beat a table filled with other attractive and skilled younger talent, which should bode well for ratings and all the changes upcoming for the new Season 9 of the WPT that launches in February. It is also a victory for Victory Poker, whose pros took the top two spots for some well appreciated branding and brag opportunities.
